Due to pressure from activists, Delta Airlines bans the transport of big game trophies

On the heels of near frantic outrage over Cecil the Lion’s killing by an American dentist, Delta Airlines announced this week that it is banning the shipment of “lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo trophies worldwide as freight.”

“Prior to this ban, Delta’s strict acceptance policy called for absolute compliance with all government regulations regarding protected species,” the airline said in a statement on its website. “Delta will also review acceptance policies of other hunting trophies with appropriate government agencies and other organizations supporting legal shipments.”

Delta now joins with British Airways, Air France, KLM, Singapore Airways, Lufthansa, Air Emirates, Iberia Airlines, IAG Cargo and Qantas in the banning of transporting animal trophies.

According to the New York Times, Delta had resisted the ban for some time, but due to “pressure from some travelers and activists, and an online petition on Change.org, Delta changed its position too.”

A report from CBS News added that had Cecil’s body parts not been confiscated by Zimbabwean authorities, it was very likely they would have been transported back to the U.S. on Delta, “given its third-largest hub is in Minneapolis, and Walter Palmer, the hunter who killed the lion, resides in Minnesota.”

[Gawker] Featured image: Change.org

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.

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